Fangirl Friday: FANFIC, y’all!

Hey, kids! I’m on the road briefly again (though you can be DAMN SURE I’m gonna catch the release of Justice League). In the meantime, I thought I’d do some fanfic sh*t with y’all.

For those not in the know (and yes, there are a few), fanfic is fiction written by fans of a particular movie or TV show/series or book series or even a particular book. The writers use the characters and settings to create their own stories. Fanfic also encompasses “uber,” which means the characters are put in an alt-universe than what was canon. So if someone says,”oh, it’s Xena uber,” that means it’s fanfic written using the Xena characters but in a setting that differs from the canon (i.e. the actual TV show). And lest you think fanfic has nothing to do with your lesfic reading world, read THIS on F/F fanfic and the effect it’s had on lesfic.

Basically, lots of writers get their starts in fanfic. I do sh*t backasswards, so I just recently started writing fanfic (long after I’d published a bunch of stuff), but whatever. It’s a great way to interact with fans, to participate in fandoms and fuel your fan-ness, and it’s a great way to figure out what works and what doesn’t in terms of plots and characters.

I participate in a lot of different fandoms. I’ve been a Star Wars fan since the beginning (with the exception of the prequels, which will remain unmentioned); I dig Star Trek (I’m a spec fic geek); and I play around in the Clexa (the TV show The 100 primary F/F ship) fandom, and the Wynonna Earp fandom, though I am all about queer rep everywhere and strong women characters. So my fangirling flings across boundaries.

So I wanted to give you a few of the Clexa fanfics that I’ve totally enjoyed — and again, for those not in the know, “Clexa” refers to the primary ship from The 100: Clarke Griffin and Commander Lexa.

The 5 Clexa fics I’ve been totally digging on recently:

Mopeytropey’s “A Pleasant Undoing” has been a freaking blast of a ride. It’s a contemporary Clexa AU set in the NE. Clarke is a bar manager and beer geek and Lexa works for a beer distributor and the beer geekery is so strong…as a beer geek myself, I have freaking loved this fanfic. It’s a sweet slowburn romance that so far has been exploding into happyfuntimes. Mopeytropey had not finished it yet, but it’s a fun ride.

I’m a sucker for beer geekery and sweet, slowburn romance. Plus, mopeytropey has a gift for turns of phrase. I’ve been really enjoying this one, friends.

On the flipside of that, geralehane’s “Your Hand in Mine” is angst supreme. Another Clexa AU, but in this one, Clarke and Lexa are trying to patch up their relationship after a betrayal on Clark’s part. I’ve been really drawn in and I’m generally not one for shit-tons of angst, but geralehane has such great descriptions and such lovely, quiet pacing set up that I’ve been sucked into this one, too. Here, Clarke and Lexa spend some time in therapy working on their relationship after Clarke cheats and watching them work on it outside therapy is really moving. I’ve been teared up several times in this one. It’s currently ongoing, friends, so be prepared to sign up for updates. 🙂

For sportsters, try The French Writer’s “The Shots We Didn’t Take.” This Clexa AU has Clarke as a goalie for a hockey team and Lexa as the hotshot captain of the team/playgirl, traded in from a different team. I have really been enjoying the descriptions of the hockey games and find myself learning more about the game. TFW has done a great job of weaving characterization into the overall sports theme of this one. The writer did give us all a heads-up that she (?) might not be able to update readily once college starts, and indeed the updates have slowed…I hope she’s (?) able to continue because this is a great slowburn romance against a hockey backdrop. I recommend signing up for updates, since they’ve slowed down since classes have started.

For more slowburn and cute-build romance, try ivywoman63’s “Sleepless in Seattle, Clexa Style” which, as she points out, has nothing to do with the movie. In this contemporary AU, Clarke is a stressed surgeon and Lexa owns a dog boarding business. Clarke is generally more of a cat person, but Lexa…omg. How could you NOT be a dog person around her? This one is also still in progress, so be aware of that.

And another Clexa AU I’ve enjoyed is orangeyouglad8’s “This is Heaven in Hiding,” which stars Clarke as an attorney and Lexa as a prosecutor. Sparks fly as they lock horns in the courtroom and then take that electricity into the bedroom. This one has lots of sexy-times, but it fits the tenor of the story. This one is wrapped up, so you get the whole meal deal. 🙂 you’re welcome.

BONUS: And for those who want smut with your slowburn romance, try faithtastic’s “Don’t Wanna Be Your Girl,” which stars Clarke as a F/F adult movie star/art student and Lexa as a women’s studies student who does a few days on the movie set for a school project and…well, sparks (and a whole lot more) fly. This is chock full o’ sexy times, but it’s also funny, sweet, romantic, and paced well. It is complete (though…personal opinion, I think another chapter would totes work), so have at!

And if you are familiar with The 100, I just finished my reboot of Season 3 fanfic, called “Grounded.” It’s freaking long, but if you decide to join me for the ride, you’ll see why I dig Clexa and the world/culture I wished the show had explored.

So. HELP US OUT! What are some of YOUR fave fics? Whatever fandom/ship? Clexa, Supercorp, Sanvers, Swanqueen, Wynonna Earp, Star Trek, Hollstein, Shoot, WHATEVER IT IS! Let us know in the comments! GIVE US SOME LINKS! 😀

I discovered lesfic 13 or so years ago when I discovered ‘The Facts of Life’ fanfic with Jo and Blair pairings. Like with Xena and Gabrielle, the fanfic for that show and so many others gave me the pairings, the ships that I always knew – or wished – were there.

If it’s a fic from Archive of our own, in the top right button bar you can download the entire book in several formats. Mobi is an option for your kindle. Then what I do is just email it to my kindle and poof, there ya go.